''Silent Sam'' (''Adamson'') is a Swedish pantomime comic, created by

Oscar Jacobsson Oscar Jacobsson (Göteborg, 1889 – Solberga, December 25, 1945) was a Swedish comic creator and cartoonist who started his career in 1918, when his first newspaper illustration was published. Jacobsson's first illustrations were published in ...

(1889–1945) in 1920. It has also been published under the name ''Adamson's Adventures''.

Description

Adamson is a silent, grumpy looking, cigar-smoking man with an odd high hat. The strip originally appeared in the Swedish humor publication ''

Söndags-Nisse ''Söndags-Nisse'' (Swedish: ''Sunday Nisse'') was a humor magazine published in Stockholm, Sweden. It was in circulation between 1863 and 1924. History and profile ''Söndags-Nisse'' was founded by Gustaf Wahlbom in 1862. The magazine contribu ...

'', where it debuted on October 17, 1920. Adamson is an almost pure pantomime comic, and he spoke extremely rarely and instead expressed himself with mimic and gestures. The fact that he almost never uttered a word, was one of the benefits of the comic, making it feasible internationally. It soon became very popular and was published in hundreds of newspapers all over the world, not only in Sweden but also in the rest of Europe, the US, China and Japan.

was resident in the United States for eight months in 1922 and during the long visit sold the series for syndication to the

PIB syndicate PIB may refer for: Music * "Plug In Baby", a song by UK alternative rock band Muse * Purified in Blood (PiB), a Norwegian band Organisations * Papuan Infantry Battalion * Press Information Bureau, Government of India * Pakistanis in the Bay, Or ...

. Soon the comic, which in the United States was usually called Silent Sam, came to be a success. The popularity of Adamson was certainly due to the fact that the figure had a specific and easily recognisable appearance – small in size, bald but for three hairs, grumpy looking with a half-smoked cigar in the mouth. Adamson also ended up in situations that, though exaggerated, many readers could identify with. In the United States, the comic also went under the name Adamson's Adventures, and this version was handed over to Henry Thol in 1935, followed by

Jeff Hayes Jeffrey Clyde Hayes (born August 19, 1959) is a former American football punter in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Miami Dolphins. He played in Super Bowl XVII and XVIII for the Wash ...

in 1941–54. After Jacobsson died in 1945, Adamson was drawn by the Dane

Viggo Ludvigsen Viggo, also spelled Wiggo, is a Nordic male name. There are two main theories about its origins: * a latinised form of the Old Norse name Vigge, which is also found in the form of other Germanic names, such as Ludvig. It stems from old Norse 'vig ...

until its demise in 1964.

Adamson Award

In 1965, the year after the production of the comic ceased, ''

Svenska Serieakademien Svenska Serieakademin ("The Swedish Academy of Comics") is a Swedish organisation founded in 1965 by the journalist Sture Hegerfors, who has been its president from the start. The academy is based on the structure of the Swedish Academy and has 1 ...

'' (The Swedish Academy of Comics) founded the

Adamson Award Adamson Awards is a Swedish award awarded to notable cartoonists, named after the famous Swedish comic strip "Adamson" (Silent Sam). They have been presented by the Swedish Academy of Comic Art (SACA) since 1965. There have been years in that ti ...

in Jacobsson's honor. This award is awarded to one Swedish and one international comic creator every year. The prize consists of a wooden sculpture representing Adamson.

References

Swedish comic strips Gag-a-day comics Pantomime comics 1920 comics debuts 1964 comics endings Fictional Swedish people Male characters in comics Swedish comics characters {{comic-strip-stub